Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Chapter 1

I officially began writing yesterday!  As of June 29, 2010, the first 2,263 words of the first chapter of the first draft was written.  When it comes to writing my first novel, I will enjoy the little things as much as possible. 

It took me about 4 or 5 hours to write a little over 2000 words, but with time comes more speed.  I will say it was nice to know that because of my index card exercise, I know exactly what comes next and where I am going with it all.  Once I got over my anxiety, the words began to flow and I never had trouble keeping my ideas in order and constantly streaming outward and onto the page.

The nervousness is still there, but it is not crippling like it was yesterday.  I think it's nervous excitement now, as if I were getting married.  I can't wait to start writing some more down.  I am eager to see where I end up and what new things I will discover in my novel.  Part of the fun of writing is that you can know as much about your story as you want, but as you write, there is still more to discover.  I forget this when I plan things, and perhaps that is the reason that I reigned myself in to keep from doing too much planning. 

I will say that what I did plan, however, has already helped tremendously to keep me on track, as it should be used.  Create for yourself a a map and give yourself a compass, then you can wander through the forest. 

The beauty of blogging about this process is that I am revving myself up to move forward even more.  It's becoming part of my writing warm-up.  I cannot believe that I never thought to do this beforehand.  In fact, I've always been a bit curious about how everyone else gets their mind in that place, to write.  What do you do to "warm-up"?

I normally turn on some music, put myself in a content mood, then begin to change the music to suit the emotion I need as I try to wipe my mind clear of anything outside of the room where I write.  Then I play with some quick little writing exercises and when I feel it, I go.

So off I go now, to write some more words on a page.  Before that, I will leave you with a few quotes from authors, about writing:

I love being a writer.  What I can't stand is the paperwork.  ~Peter De Vries, novelist

[Writing is] the art of applying the seat of the pants to the seat of the chair. ~Mary Heaton Vorse, journalist


What no wife of a writer can understand is that a writer is working when he is staring out the window. ~Burton Rascoe, former literary editor

Happy Writing!


*[Image: Bill Waterston, "Calvin and Hobbes" (1985-95)]

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Getting Started

Something I've discovered while preparing to get started with my novel: I have freaked myself out.

I started this blog to both keep myself on track and to let people know that it's more exciting to go through the process together as opposed to alone.  However, I feel as if I've told myself that it is a much bigger deal than it should be.  In all honesty, I have put myself on a pedestal and told myself to perform blindly.  Least ways, this is how I'm feeling right now.  In every sense of the word, I have stage fright.  And I know that this is not the way to go.

So I'm going to "power through," like Rachel said on Friends.  If I can punch my way through this ideal I have put to myself, it will be easier and much more enjoyable.  The entire point is to enjoy the process and discuss our own personal findings as we go.

I began reading Zen in the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury last night.  It's never a question as to how he's one of my favorite authors when I get a chance to read his work.  He motivates me and makes me excited to pick up a pen and start writing immediately.  Which is why I read more today, trying to kick this nervousness I've put upon myself.  And, he did indeed help.

I'd like to share one of my favorite passages from his first essay in the book, The Joy of Writing:

Time enough to think and cut and rewrite tomorrow.  But today- explode- fly apart- disintegrate!  The other six or seven drafts are going to be pure torture.  So why not enjoy the first draft, in the hope that your joy will seek and find others in the world who, reading your story, will catch fire too?

He has fun.  That's one of the things I love about his work.  You can feel it in every word and phrase on the page.  That's what makes it so great, so fun, so explosively joyful!  Even his darker works have that flare of his that tells you just how much he loves his craft.

I want that.  So no more fear and anxiety over the page.  That's the fun part; the part coming up now.  The first draft; the initial plunge into the unknown on an amusement park ride, and I get to ride it all day today and tomorrow and the next day until that first draft is finished.

I'm going to leave you now because I'm going to write.

I invite you to comment on how you find that inspiration and excitement to start your writing, or even to continue writing.


Monday, June 28, 2010

The Reading Part of Writing

Much of what makes a great writer, comes from being a great reader.  Taken from what Stephen King said in the you tube video I posted in Wise Words From A Legend, I decided to dedicate this entry to the importance of reading.

This is what reading means to me, as a writer:

One thing that many people don't know about me, is that I collect bookmarks.  I do this for two reasons: 1. I tend to lose bookmarks a lot, and 2. a bookmark helps in feeding my desire to read more books.  I love the quotes or the silly pictures on them.  I love the free ones you get from your local library, and I love the ones you spend ten dollars for, with the brass finish and Japanese symbol on the bottom.  Like my bookmark fuels my thirst for more books, reading fuels my desire to write.

I was lucky in that I had a home that promoted the importance of reading at a very young age.  In fact, I used to read books before I could read.  You can give the credit to my bookworm side of the family: my mother and my oldest sister. 

I recall being extremely small and wondering why they would remain silent and still for long periods of time, staring at these things called books.  I even recall asking what they were and what were inside of them.  I mean, why would someone stare at an unmoving rectangular object so intensely?  I can't remember exactly what it was they said about them, but I do know that after they answered, I wanted nothing more than to learn to read.

I think I was around 2 or 3 years old at the time (yes, I can recall that far back).  Anyhow, because I was only a toddler and the task of learning to read does take a little time, I would sit down with picture books and make up my own stories, according to the pictures.  I would try to create new stories every time and sometimes even move the pictures into a different order, to fit my own story. 

My oldest sister, swore I could read at the time, because if there were words, I followed them with my finger while staring intently at them, wishing I could read.  I would then use the pictures to create my own story according to the words I thought were on the page.  It was actually an interesting scenario because when my mother did have time to read to me (I was the youngest of 8 children, so this is why I got creative with reading), I was severely let down in what the words actually meant.  I felt some of my stories were much better.  This also may be the reason that some children's books do not at all reflect the stories I remember them being, which amuses me greatly. 

Ever since then, I have been an avid bookworm.  Of course, life has gotten in the way and for awhile I won't pick up too many books for a period of time, but when I write, I find myself longing to read, so the importance of it isn't too difficult for me to hold on to.  

The wonderful thing about reading is that every aspect attributes itself to writing.  The most fundamental part of writing is reading.  This is someones flow of thought, poured out onto a page that they filled, from their own line of thought.  These ideas of theirs came from reading others' thoughts and then adding to theirs, with their own. 

A direct example of fundamentals is that once I finish the first draft of my novel, I will need to read it in order to feel the flow of my own piece, picking out and editing that which does not fit the flow, whether it be spelling, punctuation, or simply something that does not work within the piece. 

Writers must read.  This teaches us our craft.  This tells us how our writing fits in with other published works; both classic and contemporary.  This is the best gauge to tell where we are, as writers

Reading inspires; it creates.  We all have our favorite authors and works, and some of us aspire to be like them, with our own style.  Reading promotes our individual styles as well.  We take in all of the knowledge we accrue in life and use it to write.  Much of this knowledge and experience can come from reading.  While we may be reading the same book, our emotions and thoughts from the experiences within the book, give us our individuality.  This individuality is what inspires our style.

Writing can be taught technically, but the creativity of it is something that only reading and writing can give us.  This is the end all, be all of the truth behind reading to write.  Some things cannot be taught, and the secret is something you must seek out for yourself.  We've been given the door, but only we can decide what we will find on the other side of it.

Books I am currently reading, or will be reading in the next 2 weeks:
Fablehaven: Keys to the Demon Prison (book 5) by Brandon Mull
The Space Between Trees by Katie Williams
Zen in the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury
Solitude by Robert Kull

Please comment on what reading is to you, as a writer, or even as an individual.  The best part is, reading has a different relationship with everyone and each one is unique and important in its own way, because it is your own.





Friday, June 25, 2010

Researching, Research, Research

I may not be the general consensus in saying that it is better to know more than less, but I will still say it.  So many times have I read reviews about books that say something along the lines of, "it could have been great, had the author known more about medical practice than the general populace."  If you don't do your homework, don't expect to do well on the test.

If you have been reading me since the beginning of this blog (8 whole entries now!), you will definitely know that I love to give examples of what the professional authors do.  Here's my example for this entry: Dan Brown, author of Angels & Demons, The DaVinci Code, and more with more to come.  Unless you've been living under a rock, you've heard of him.  Do you think he didn't do any research before writing his novels?  His knowledge of conspiracy theories regarding the Catholic Church and the Illuminati is extremely evident.  Yes, he alters the existing theories in our world for his novels, but that's taking a poetic license in his fiction.  At the end of the day, he still did his research.

The great thing about being a writer is that, more often than not, you're going to write what you enjoy and what you know, so the research probably won't need to be the time equivalent of a Doctorate in Physics. 

Research for my book is key, as I am writing a science fiction novel.  The good news is that my research is half knowledge-based and the remaining half, imagination-based.  My original idea for this novel came from a dream I had around five or six months ago.  It was so real and so vivid that I still remember most every aspect of that dream.

My dream took place on a spaceship, as my story will.  So to establish the details and description of my ship, today I put pen to graph paper and did what I can't really do: I drew out my ship.  Thank goodness for graph paper and a protractor set.  It was probably the best $6.00 I could have spent for my research needs. 

Not only did I draw out my ship, but as I drew, I became fully immersed in every room on that ship and I now know every detail.  I may have known it before, but until it was on paper, I couldn't be sure.  I even drew it to scale, which makes it even better.  Now I have a reference guide for myself and possibly for my readers, should I choose to insert it into the novel.

A sobering fact that I have come to realize in science fiction and fantasy novels, is the amount of research that you will need to create for yourself.  As I mentioned in my One of Character entry, I like to know more than my readers will, so my research has been much more detailed than will be necessary to the actual story.  However, it's fun to do and should any insanely intelligent person come up and ask me about the floor on the bridge of the ship, I can explain it easily and fully until their ears fall off.  So I hope.

On another note, I still have more research to complete and take on, of which I won't bore you with at present.  This research is also more imagination created, so I've enlisted the aid of a help guide.  I discovered this workbook last December and ordered it right away.  It is called The Complete Novel Plotting Workbook.

Disclaimer's Note:  I do not sell this workbook.  I do not receive proceeds or any monetary value from enumerating this workbook.  I don't even necessarily condone it.  I just think it's a start on the organizing side of science fiction and fantasy creative research that may be required for your novel.

Her website will explain more.  It can only be bought in the United States, so I apologize for those of you who are interested and do not live in the U.S.  It comes out to $14.95 with shipping and handling.  Think along the lines of buying information and organization because all you're getting is paper with info on it. 

Hint: What you see is what you get, for the most part.  The world building section is what makes the book worth buying because you don't necessarily remember to think of everything when you are creating a civilization from scratch, or almost scratch.  Her time line graph is confusing and very flow chart-ish for me, but it will probably work for others, more than likely.

The locking rings that keep the book together, suck.  I can't be nicer than that.  They're too small for how thick the book is and I took them all out so I wouldn't tear my pages up and I still don't have a new binding for it yet.

The quotes are nice and there are character profiles which will help organize you and give you that "getting to know you" idea, even if it is at a bare minimum.  And if you are one of the lucky ones and can draw, you even get a space to draw characters and maps, with the world's smallest graph paper.

In my book, if you are going to attempt this genre of novel, you need to have this level of knowledge for reference.  While it isn't necessary to buy the book, try to pull together your own workbook with your own templates for referencing.  Put it in your Writer's Bible, especially if you plan on writing several fantasy and science fiction stories.

Just make sure to research.  Know your stuff before you run out into the unknown.  Do your homework.  There's no harm in learning (or creating) something new.


Thursday, June 24, 2010

Wise Words From A Legend

It is so important to remember the most fundamental principle of writing: reading.  You have to read, if you want to be a writer.  You simply have to.

You can argue that the bottom line is that you must know your craft, and to know your craft, you must read.  Just as a filmmaker must watch films, so also must a writer read.  Of course, you must hone your own ideas, your own flare with the pen, but if you don't read books, how can you expect other people to read yours?    How can you expect to learn anything new?

I don't think I can stress this point enough, and I think it is best to hear it straight from one of the most prominent authors of our day: Mr. Stephen King.  If you can't believe him, well, I don't think there is any convincing you.

(You can find the video below on youtube.com.  It was posted by klynn28, who is not me, and I thank her profoundly for sharing it with the world.)




"I think you outta read a lot, and I think you outta write a lot." -Stephen King

Reading is a fundamental key to writing.  I don't think that anyone could have said this better.  Mr. King, you rock!  Write on, sir, write on!

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

One of Character

Writing characters is the most exciting part of writing for me.  Here is a persona, slipping straight out of my brain and onto a page, in a story that only I can tell my readers.  So how do I work with my characters?  How do I get them to walk, talk, breathe, and think like they are actual beings?  This thought process, is sometimes daunting and frightening to me.  What if everyone realizes that this character doesn't exist?  What if it is quite obvious that they do not?

Character is defined by the aggregate of features and traits that form the individual nature of some person or thing, according to www.dictionary.com.  Features and traits don't sound very frightening.  It's a list, mainly.  But how do you roll them into each other and get a true, realistic, character? A character who fits the role and makes sense to your readers?  I have my methods.

Now for the quick disclaimer:  These are methods that I use when I really need assistance on one or many aspects of a story.  Sometimes, I use them fully, other times I don't need to as much, but always, it is a good idea use my methods, whatever they may be, as a reference guide to make sure I am aware of what I, the writer, need to know.

When Mrs. J.K. Rowling was writing the Harry Potter series, she wrote many many things down that never made it to the book (which I'm sure every fan is clamoring for in her encyclopedia that she has noted to eventually publish for all of us HP nerds).  This was for her knowledge alone and though it related to the world she created, it didn't necessarily apply to the story.  For instance, she wrote down a list of the students in Hogwarts.  She wrote down their year, their house, their level of magical aptitude, and so on.  Was it necessary to the story?  No.  But was it helpful to her, so that she could write the story effectively?  Yes.

If you feel it necessary to have this level of knowledge for your book, don't be afraid to write down information that may not see anyone's eyes but your own.  In fact (and I may be biased), I think it is important to have this knowledge.

You, the writer, are God, when it comes to your novel, and you should know some things that aren't pertinent to the story, especially if you are writing science fiction or fantasy.  At the very least, experiment with it and have some fun.  You might surprise yourself with how effective it can be.

What does this have to do with character, you ask? Well, here you go.  I have some friends who play Dungeons & Dragons on a regular basis.  I used to do so myself, for a brief period of time.  If you haven't played, let me explain.  Each person creates a character to run around and battle in a fantasy world of your group's creation (I'm keeping it simple you D&D players, play along).  These people have an age, ethnicity, height, weight, physical characteristics, a past, a present, and other features and traits that make them more organic and tangible.  

Sometimes, like in writing, it's difficult to come up with the type of character you want to play, or more likely, you have your idea of a character, but no semblance of personality.  So, one of my friends turned to the internet and discovered the "Mother of All Character Questionnaires" (you can find it at http://www.roleplayingtips.com/articles/character_questionnaire.php). 


By the time I finished compiling the thing into a printable worksheet for our group, it was around 17 pages long, which is a bit overkill, if you ask me.  The point, though, is to make you aware of how dynamic we really are, as people.  Go over it, using yourself as a character.  Do you know all of the answers to these questions?  How about if you use a best friend or loved one?  The chances are that you know most, if not all the answers.  The same should be said about your characters; your main characters, especially.  No, you don't need to fill out one for every character (your main and main supporting characters should suffice).  Just go over it and find the significance in knowing these answers, or the significance in not knowing, should that be the case.


This exercise works for me in that my characters won't be flat and superficial.  While most of the information in my character questionnaire may not make it onto the page, my writing will reflect that I know this character through and through.  My character will be a Harry Potter as opposed to a two dimensional stick figure.  My descriptions of them will be more accurate and robust and I will know what drives them forward through the book and how it affects and changes them in the ways that they need to.  Believe it or not, it can help stave off writer's block if you know where your character would go from where you're at.


If the "Mother of All Character Questionnaires" scares you a bit, make it simple on yourself.  Pretend your character is filling out a facebook bio or info page and add a few extras in, for example:


  • Favorite childhood memory
  • Worst memory
  • Most humiliating memory
  • Pet Peeves
  • Favorite Holiday/ Day of the Year and why


...and other such "getting to know you" questions.  Add more questions to your list as you experiment.  Just get to know your character.  Sit down and have a chat, a lunch, a formal interview.   Don't be afraid to get to know your character a little too well, knowing the bad with the good.  It makes it easier to write, in the end. 

Monday, June 21, 2010

Finding What They Call Time

Life sometimes comes at you fast; as it has me, this past weekend.  There has been a lot to think about, but, unfortunately, not much of it has to do with writing.  So how do we shake off everything going through our days, through our minds, and get back into that focus? 

I don't think it's easy, and I sometimes wonder if it ever will.  Sometimes, though, you just have to keep pushing.  Even through all this crazy life stuff, I've had my story in the back of my mind, glazing across my eye monitors every so often, reminding me of what I am taking on.  Don't brush it off.  Keep it floating around in there.  If you push it out of the way totally, it becomes another back burner project that gets forgotten.

I'm sure everyone has their circumstances; such is life.  I nearly died a couple of months ago, so I think that would be legitimate enough to put a few things off.  Now, I am back, I am better, and I am realizing that life moves on and there are some things worth doing in life, before it is too late.  For me, that's writing.  That's why I'm here, and that is why I am blogging about it.  If I let unimportant things rule my life, I won't ever get anything done that is important to me.

There is a moment, when life tells you to make a choice (actually there are probably several, but only one that people recall) about what it is that makes you happy, and do you accept it as a possibility to seek?  I made my choice, and I'm working along that path. 

At the moment, time is easier to come by for me.  That may be different in a few months, but for now, I try to get the things done that need attention, and always set aside that time.  Whether you call it "me" time, or "writing" time or whatever, that is up to you.  But don't sell out the ice cream truck possibilities for a popsicle here and now.

Ray Bradbury, an author I absolutely love, wrote a lot of interesting things about writing, in general.  I won't quote him directly, but he instructs to write something down every day.  Get the habit going.  If you write everyday, it's easier to reach into that creative place and pull out what you are seeking.  It doesn't need to be three chapters or a thousand words exactly, it just needs to be, first and foremost.

Saturday, June 19, 2010

The Zen of Story Outlining

So, my previous entry spoke of how I got to the next level, or at least outlined the trials and tribulations of getting to that next level.  However, what did I actually do for those four hours I spoke of?  What I am about to elaborate on, I know, will make a former college professor of mine very upset with me. 

First, I went over my outline and found that it was less like an outline and more like a vomit of words, thoughts, and ideas that only somewhat alluded to the bones of my story.  Unlike probably many people, after this initial brainstorm, I continue to think about and mold the story in my head.  It's a method that somehow works for me, but also makes it harder for me to sit down and write everything out because I'll just continue to mull it over and over inside my head. 

Needless to say, because I stopped writing down my ongoing "mulling", my notes were far from organized and extremely behind my brain.  I have a story in my head, and I have an extremely generalized brainstorm and outline from that initial epiphany I received.  Now, I need to put it all together into something that makes sense.  I need to organize it.  This was something that was never truly explained in my high school narrative classes.  Either that, or I was busy writing a poem so I could turn it in by the end of class.

To organize, I always utilize the six mystery words: Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How; aptly named because every detective needs these six words answered to make their case before a judge.  In writing terms, these words become the setting (where and when), the characters (who), the story, and the plot (what, why, and how). 

From these words and terms, I came up with this list:
1. Setting
2. Time line (list of events in chronological order)
3. Characters
4. Story/ Plot (list of events in order they will be written)
5. Research

And in those four hours, I spent a few moments answering all the questions (to assure myself I knew the answers), then I spent the bulk of the time writing out the time line and story of the novel.  For me, I'm lucky, my book is written in chronological order. 

The story, for most people, is written as an outline; a complete, official, legal outline, just like the one you learned in elementary school and used for every MLA format essay you had to write.  However, my brain does not like those outlines.  Yes, I understand:

I. Act One- Introduction  "Once upon a time..."
     1. Introduce main character.  "...there was a young prince..."
          i. Describe main character's features.  "...who was as ugly as a barrel of fish..."
          ii. Describe what main character is doing.  "...and he loved to dance, but no one cared to watch..."
     2. and on and on, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera...

My brain does not like outlines.  I'm either too detailed (see above), or too vague, so I scrapped them a long time ago.  If that method works for you, by all means, you are welcome to the lot.  The method I use, however, I actually picked up while taking an online screenwriting course for fun, around six years ago. 

**Thank you, Mr. Skip Press (he's the author to many of the screenwriting books you will find at the bookstore including The Complete Idiot's Guide to Screenwriting).  He has a website at www.skippress.com.**

First, buy some stock in the index card company, because these will be your best friends for this method.  If you're poor, like I am, cut the index cards in half and you now have twice as many.  If you want to use post-its, go for it, but they're more expensive than index cards.  The idea is to dissect the story into the three acts, and from there, into the individual scenes.

Quick Note:  Most of us who take any formal writing classes, learn that stories are built in three acts, a beginning, a middle, and an end.  If you don't know this, let me know, and I can try to reference places to learn more about the three-act structure.

This method is utilized by screenwriters, but it can be used for novel-writing as well.  I'm sure that I am not the only writer that does this.  In fact, in Stranger Than Fiction, Queen Latifah is seen doing this same method on the floor at one point in the film. 

It might be a little more difficult for novels as they are not as formally structured as a screenplay is, but the concept remains true.  I find it very zen to just write out a word, phrase, or sentence, that pertains to each particular scene/idea in the story, and put them in their perspective order.  Yes, I said zen. 

If you are like me, certain scenes stick out in my mind more than others, so I don't have to originally get it out of my head in order, I just record it on a card and put it down in order as I recall more and more scenes.  My mind becomes organized as I continue along.

A great perk to using this method, is that it allows you to play with your story line.  As you are arranging these cards in order, you might find it more appropriate to move scenes around (note: something you may not see as readily in a typical outline).  You can also add scenes you originally forgot to add or take some out without having to sift back through a huge pile of lines and details.  And once you have it all finished, it's a straight line so it's hard to get lost.

The other nice thing about index cards, is that on the back of each card, you can put your details for each scene.  Outlines are crazy and confusing for me, once I get detailed.  The back of the card is clearly defined to that particular part of the story and it won't get separated or mixed in with the rest of the page and forgotten.  Plus, as I go along writing the novel, scene by scene, I can cross off each index card and keep my place for when I take breaks.

Now that I have completed my story outline, I can now focus on the next big item on my list: character.